Section A: Drama – Appreciating Character, Relationships and Staging

Question 1 is worth 5 marks.

Read the question carefully and underline the key words, so that you know
exactly what you are being asked to do, i.e. give your opinion about how the
mother and father relate to each other.

Read over the scene at least twice, carefully underlining any phrases that
tell you something about how the mother and father relate to each other.
You will notice that the father does most of the talking, so you will have to
judge how the mother reacts to what he says.

At first, the mother says very little and appears totally taken aback to find
a boat in their shed. However, she does eventually seem to agree with the
father’s idea of sailing around the world when she says, ‘I’ll be skipper you
say?’ This tells me that their relationship is good and loving. She must
know her husband well and must even be a bit like him. The father knows
his wife very well and seems to know what will appeal to her and uses
this to help persuade her. He points out the sturdy qualities of the boat
and then tries to paint a picture of them carefree and enjoying themselves
on board, sailing around the world. They appear to be a very united
family, as the father refers to what has always been special for them,
‘Sailing our dinghy on Sundays’, ‘all three of us’ and he has told Peggy Sue
all about them.

There are 10 marks available for Question 2.

Read the question carefully, underlining everything that tells you more
about Michael. This question is asking for your opinion of Michael.

Make sure you read the entire scene, not just when Michael speaks.

In order to make a proper judgement about him, you need to see how he
reacts to what is said and also to what he sees.

Michael’s reaction to seeing the yacht is ‘She’s fantastic!’ This suggests

that he is excited and that he loves the boat and perhaps the promise of
what might be in store for him in terms of adventure. He says he didn’t
mind working his paper round to provide money for his family – this
shows his kindness and fondness for his parents. He repeats ‘fantastic’ in
reply to his father’s idea for a trip around the world, showing his love of
adventure and enthusiasm for the trip to come. In unison with his dad, he
says, ‘Aye, aye, cap’n!’ to encourage his mom when she shows signs of
weakening in her resolve to remain at home. This shows he is of the same
mind as his dad when it comes to the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ trip.

There are 10 marks available for Question 3.

(a) Aside: A short speech spoken by a character in a play.

(b) Auditorium: The part of the theatre where the audience sits.

(c) Dialogue: Words spoken between characters in a play.

(d) Narrator: The person who tells the story of the play.

(e) Stage directions: Instructions telling actors how they are to move or
speak their lines.

There are 15 marks available for Question 4.

Note for Actor Playing the Father:

This actor should make sure to create excitement through his tone of
voice. He should sound optimistic and cheerful. He should also convey his
excitement by his facial expression, so he should be smiling all the time
and look happy. He should also walk and move quickly to give the
impression that he cannot wait to get started.

Note for Actor Playing the Mother:

The mother should convey doubt through her movements and facial
expression. She should move slightly backwards when she sees the boat
first, to lend weight to her reluctance to welcome the idea. She should
have a frown on her face, which towards the end of the scene changes to
a slight smile to show the persuasion is working.

Note for Actor Playing Michael:

This actor should show his excitement at the thoughts of big adventure by
his movements, so perhaps he should be hopping about from foot to foot,
as if he can’t wait for the adventure to begin. He could also use his
gestures to show how thrilled he is, for example, he could be clapping his
hands. His expression should be very happy and he should be constantly
smiling.

As you read, put yourself in the shoes of each of the characters and think
about how you could show an audience how you feel through your facial
expressions, movements and gestures.

Make at least one good point for each of the three characters.

There are 15 marks available for Question 5.

Read the question carefully. Think about the plays and extracts from plays
that you have studied over your course. Can you remember a character who
had to make a decision that affected him/her and also affected other
characters in the drama? The key words here are ‘character’, ‘important
decision’ and ‘the effect’ this has both ‘on the character’ and on ‘those
around’ the character. The answer to (a) is straightforward.

The first paragraph of (b) should present the character and the decision.
Then write one paragraph each about the consequences for some of the
other characters.

(a)

Title of the Play: Blood Brothers

Name of the Character: Mrs. Johnstone

(b)

Mrs. Johnstone is a lady with a big family who has been abandoned by her
husband. She was expecting twins but she really could not afford more
than one other child. She had a cleaning job with Mrs. Lyons, a much
wealthier lady who could not have children and whose husband is often
away on business. Mrs. Lyons persuaded Mrs. Johnstone to give her one
of her twins, so she could pretend it was her own child. They make a pact
and swear on the Bible.

The decision had a significant effect on Mrs. Johnstone. She regrets giving
up a twin and pays him too much attention when she goes to work at Mrs.
Lyons. She loses her job because Mrs. Lyons is jealous and afraid, though
she has used Mrs. Johnstone’s superstitious nature to ensure she keeps
the secret.

The effect on Mrs. Lyons was not good either. She could not relax and
enjoy family life while she was living near the Johnstones. She seems to
become mentally affected, so she persuaded her husband to move to a
different area.

The twin boys, Edward and Mickey, eventually meet as seven year olds
without knowing they are in fact brothers. They become ‘blood brothers’
and swear allegiance to each other. However, both mothers are worried
and so the boys are forever being prevented from being with each other,
which upsets them both.

Coincidentally, both families end up living near each other again when
Mrs. Johnstone gets re-housed. Life gets very complicated when they get
older and the kind of life the separated twins lead is very different.
Edward goes to college and becomes a councillor but Mickey gets a job he
hates and marries Linda because she is pregnant. Eventually he ends up in
prison for a robbery and Linda ends up going to Edward for help. The
worst consequence happens at the end when Mickey is told about Linda
and Edward by Mrs Lyons. He goes to kill Edward but finds he cannot;
however, the gun goes off accidentally and kills Edward anyway. The
police in turn shoot Mickey. The superstition that Mrs Lyons used to keep
Mrs Johnstone quiet comes to pass!

There are 15 marks available for Question 6

You must choose the same character that you wrote about in Question 5.
Take note of the format – you are asked to write a letter.Remember to use
the correct format for a letter – your address in the top right-hand corner, a
greeting and three or four short paragraphs. Make sure the first paragraph
states your reason for writing and the last one draws the letter to a close.
You can then have one or two paragraphs in the middle. End with a closing
statement, ‘Yours…’

22 Main Street
 Crabtree

3 June 2016

Dear Mrs Johnstone,

I am writing to advise you about what you should do before you make
your big decision to give away one of your twin babies.

If I were you I would not give my baby to Mrs. Lyons, as I think she will not
keep her end of the bargain to let you see your son every day. Any woman
who would deceive her husband and her neighbours into thinking she
herself was pregnant is not to be trusted in my opinion. She also seems to
be an extremely mean woman who is playing on the fact that you are
superstitious and she spins you a story about the dire consequences of the
boys finding out in the future that they are brothers in order to get you to
stay quiet.

Instead, I would try and find a different job to support my family. You
could also save money if you stopped looking at catalogues, as then you
would not be tempted into owing so much money. It would also be a good
idea to say ‘no’ more often to your children – I don’t think it will do them
any harm to realise that it is more important to be able to eat rather than
have the latest toys.

I hope you do not mind me writing to give you this advice but I feel sorry
for you having to bear the burden of everything yourself and I think you
should be able to share it.

Yours sincerely,

Sheena Coyle